Apparatus for filling shoe-bottoms.



A; THOMA..

APPARATUS FOR FILLING SHOE BOTTOMS. APPL|CA' TION FILED JAN-3. 1907.

Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

RS cm. PNom-urNo WASHING mu, D c.

CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, Y. A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

APPARATUS F033, FILLING S HOE BOTIOMS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that i, ANDREW THOMA, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Cambridge, in the county State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Filling Shoe-Bottoms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My present invention is for filling the bottoms of shoes with :a normally semiplastic, tough, elastic, filler, such for example as is disclosed in my Patent No. 832,002 of September 25, 1906. The most common means of applying this kind of filler to shoe bottoms is that shown in United States Patent No. 808,227 of December 26, 1905, which requires that .the filler shall be heated in order to render it flowing and plastic, and requires the operator to with a spatula, one hand being required for this purpose while the other hand manipulatesthe shoe. My present invention aims to do away with. these objectionable features, leaving the operator at liberty to use both hands in supporting and manipulating the shoe, and doing away with the disagreeable presence of heat, and at the same time aifording means for filling shoes with far greater rapidity than is possible by the semi-hand method above referred to. provide mixers which serve to prepare the filler material in a preliminary way, and a friction device, which at the same time is a feeding device which serves to liquety or render plastic the mass without the presence of extraneous steam pipes or other heating means, a manually controlled delivery by which the operator controls the delivery of the 'eXact ainount of filler required for the given shoe-bottom in the hands of the operator, an innersole-lip controlled width governor for governing the width of filler delivery, and a rapidly reciprocating laying device or condensing and compacting smoother and leveler adjacen't the delivery device capable of co operating with the cold plastic filler in properly embedding the latter under suitable pressure in the shoe-bottom cavity. Various features of my invention are of importance and practical value, apart from the others, allof which will be more defilift small portions Specification-of LettersPa-tent.

Application file'dJ'anua'r'y 3, I907. Seria1No.'35O,'588.

of ldiddlesex and a power machine In carrying out my invention 1:

Patented rise. 6, ram-.

nitely defined in the claims; tion will be more fullyunderstood from the following description, taken in connection with the'iaccompanying drawings in which I have illustrated one "einbo'di'i'iient of the invention.

, In the drawings Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional' viev of a machine embodying all features of my invention; 1 Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail. of thexdelivering device;

Fig. 8 isa transverse sectional view.

For simplicity of presentation and-clearness of understanding, I have shown the rr D stares PATEN @FFKQE? I ANDREW TH-015A, er CAMBRIDGE, tinssnonnsn'rrs, 'a'ssieno n rononrn n ivrnaienn and the invenbody of the machine as a single casting l 7 containing an upper receptacleQ, a son' 1e what narrowed receiving chamber 3 and a feed chamber 4 terminating in a delivery or discharge end 5. In the feed chamber I monnt means for creating considerable friction with relation to thelfill'e'r material withwhich the feed chamber is supplied, and in connection with saidfriction device I pro; vide meansfor forcing the filler forward, and also preliminary means for mixing or grinding the filler, thereby supplementing the friction action and feeding movement in getting the filler into proper plastic condition for being deposited in ashoe-bottom. Preferably the mixing and grinding or disintegrating device and the friction device are separate although cooperating, the disintegrating and mixing device being herein ind cated at ,6 and the friction device at 7, the latter constituting also the feed device, bein shown as a worm feed or conical fluted shaft which screws the material for ward with, considerable resistance and yet is soshaped that it permits more or. less slipping of the material, thereby increasing the frictional action on which I depend to a considerable extent for liquefying the filler composition. The disintegrator or mixer 6 has claw members or knives 8 and deflector apart an v 10 and machine of the drawings, v

vided with fast ung down, condensing,

.pellent material.

alz-rge extent, in condition for application to the shoe-bottmn. As herein shown, the shaft of the friction feed device 7 is proand loose power pulleys, 12,

13 and a driving gear 1-1- meshing with a pinion 15 on the shaft 16 of the dismtegrator and mixer. At the opposite end of the latter shaft I provide a spur gear 17 meshing with a smaller pinion 18 on a shaft 19 provided with a cam wheel 20 for rapidly reciprocating a link 21 extending centrally from a transverse shaft 22, at whose opposite ends are swing rods 23 herein shown), pivoted at 2% respectively at the opposite sides of the machine and supporting at their lower ends a laying or packing and spreadingdevice 25 for levelcompacting and smoothing or pressing the filler firm into all the crevices of the shoe bottom. This laying device 25 performs the same functions as the super-heating roll of the above mentioned Patent No. 808,227 excepting that it accomplishes my purpose without heat, does not rotate, and smooths or levels down the filler more quickly and accurately, due to its extremely rapid short back-andforth movement. The back-and-forth movement is so rapid that the succession of short smoothing packing motions causes the filler to be laid or condensed and smoothed and pressed down flat into the shoe-bottom almost perfectly, as the shoe is simply drawn back from the machine in contact with said laying device. While the latter may be prevented from sticking to the filler by heat if desired, or by any other means, I prefer to accomplish the purpose by maintaining the engaging side thereof coated with a thin film of repellent liquid, such as oil or soapy water As herein shown I have provided a pocket 26 containing a supply 27 of soapy water of a thin jelly-like consistency capable of jarring or oozing through perforations 28 provided. for the purpose in the bottom of the pocket 26, so that as the soapy water or other repellent substance oozes or drops through the openings 28 it is scraped or cut off by the adjacent edge of the rapidly moving laying device 25in suificient quantity to maintain the under side thereof con stantly coated or lubricated with this re- This effectually prevents the filler from sticking to the device 25 without interfering with the effective laying function of the latter.

As the subdivided filler material is forced forward by the feed screw 7 toward the delivery end 5 it is preferably compelled to pass through a screen on subdividing plate 29 for rendering the filler stillmore plastic and free-flowing by the friction of the filler in passing through the holes of the plate. If the filler is not being deposited in a shoe at the moment it passes thence through a (only one being channel 30 back to the rear end of the feed chamber, the idea being to keep the filler in motion and prevent its setting and clogging. By this means I am sure always to get a prompt delivery when required, as the filler is not merely kept in proper condition, by its constant movement, but it is always ready for delivery, whereas if it were permitted to stop there would be a momentary sluggishness to overcome, due to its extremely sticky and compact nature. At the mouth of the delivery end I provide a regu later or filler ejector in the form of a slide 31, shown as normally held forward in closing position by a spring 32 and operated by a bell crank 33 and foot lever 34, said slide having a valve-plate or filler actuator 35 in position to close or partially close the channel 30 according as the slide is entirely opened or only partially opened. This plate 35 thus compels the instant deflection of the moving stream of filler material, so that it must deliver under pressure into the shoebottom cavity instantly and properly when the slide is opened. In Figs. 2 and 3 I have shown the parts in enlarged detail, where it will beseen that T have provided width guards 36 whose depending ends 37 engage the stitching ribs 38 of an innersole 39 whose cavity 40 is to be filled. These width guards are yieldingly supported by any suitable means, being herein shown as carried at the lower ends of posts 41 supported at the side of the machine and held constantly against the slide 31 and side notches 42 by springs 43 which engage the holding brackets 44 at their lower ends, and pins 45 in the posts 41 at their upper ends. The width guards 36 slide laterally in the lower ends of the posts, being held normally outward by springs 46 and compelled to move inwardly by reason of their engagement with the opposite stitch receiving ribs 38. I regard it important to govern the .iller delivery with reference to the lips or ribs 38 of the shoe bottom cavity, as there is no other portion of the shoe that can be used as a governing contour to accomplish proper regulation of the area of filler being laid to accord with the area of the cavity. The contour of a shoe at its sides differs from the contour of the innersole and welt, and both differ from the contour of the innersole cavity or bottom cavity, 2'. e. they differ from the contour of the cavity which is bounded by the inner-edge of the lip 38. Hence by providing a control which is governed directly with reference to this lip, the result is that the filler delivery corresponds exactly of the cavity. As the cavity varies in width, the controlling devices 36 vary. Also, as these devices are in line with the discharge opening, they are moved in or out, in accordance with the variations of cavity at the very point of filler deposit therein. To in with the requirements ling the thin fiat stream of filler to flow .di-

rectly into the shoe cavity 40. The width guards and their notches 42 are so arranged that when the operator has engaged the shoe therewith he simply presses upwardly and thereby opens the slide 31. I find that'this arrangement gives the operator more .confidence than when he regulates the delivery of he filler entirely by his foot. Pressing the shoe upwardly is a natural movement and the operator has no difficulty in learning to regulate the supply in this manner and at the same time pull the shoe forward (as it is being filledi to the laying device 25. When the slide 31 is moved ahead to closed position it pushes the V-shaped guards forward and downwardly until the opening is closed. The guards have considerable lateral, length in order to permit them to be moved inwardly by their engagement with the stitch receiving ribs 38 as the shoe is pulled forward toward the narrow toe part. In other words, I make the width guards capable of automatically following the contour of the shoe bottom cavity by the engagement of the hook-shaped ends .37 with the stitch receiving ribs. This operation automatically shapes the ribbon-like flow of filler to correspond exactly to the shape of the shoe bottom cavity. To permit the ready escape of the width guards from the stitch receiving rib when the toe end of the shoe is reached 1 make the rear side 170f the hookshaped end obliquely curved and rounded so that when the toe end of the ribs 38 is rcached'an'd the operator quickly closes the slide 31, the width guards simply ride up and across the stitch receiving ribs and permit the shoe to leave without restraint.

In operation, a complement of filler ma,- terial is placed in the receptacle portion 2 of the machine and is automatically disintegrated and comminuted as the parts rotate in the direction of the arrows. As the mass is disintegrated and drops into the receiving chamber it is continually churned and mixed. Meanwhile the partially prepared filler is fed forcibly forward by the feed worm 7 whose friction serves not only to forward the filler but to further soften it, the final softening thereof being effected and completed by the forcing of the par-' tially softened filler through the screen or perforated diaphragm 29. This screen subdivides the filler and puts it in proper shape for filling the shoe. The flow of the filler in the machine is continuous whether the machine is filling shoes or not, the filler in the latter instance passing back throughthe channel 30, and so on around continuously, always ready to fill a shoe whenever the operator is ready. When ready, the oper ator with a shoe firmly held in both hands if desired, engages one rib 38 with the adjacent hook 37 and by a quick, ,deft movement pulls the shoe and said hook over until he catches the opposite hook onthe opposite rib. In practice this is accomplished almost instantly and-the shoe is simultaneously centered and pushed forward until its shank portion is directly beneath the delivery opening, and that instant the operator raises theshoe up forcibly against the wi lth guards, thereby instantly starting the delivery of filler into the shoe bottom, or depresses the foot treadle, which opens the slide or feed controller exactly the dista-nce required by the operator forthe given shoe, the upward movement of the gage or width controllers 36 permitting at the same time the shoe to come close to the delivery opening. .As the operator controls the amount of "the filler delivered he quickly pulls the shoe toward himself, the width guards simultaneously gaging the width of the filler delivered exactly to the require-f ments of the shoe, and as the toe of the shoe is reached, the operator closes the slide, or permits it to close under the influence of the spring :32, the width guards at the same time escaping from the shoe, which imme diately comes in contact with the rapidly agitated or reciprocated laying device 25 which smooths and compacts the filler into the shoe as desired. All this is accomplished with great rapidity and ease by the oper ator. There is no fatigue in laying the filler with the laying device, as the operator simply pulls the shoe upagainst said device with both hands andpulls it straight forward toward himself, the rapid back-and-forth movement of the laying device working the. filler down compactly and smoothly and almost imperceptibly.

One of the main advantages of my inven tion is that it renders it possible to use the filler without melting it by heat, the hot pots, roll, etc., of the previous machine being entirely eliminated. The speed of my present invention is likewise an important'feature, as the operator soon learns to gage thedelivery rapidly and accurately so that he can fill the shoes as quickly'as he can handle them,'-the movement being merely an in and out movement coupled with the slight initial lateral movement necessary for catching the hook ends of the width guards. The operator not onlyhas both hands to devote to the shoe, but is without I machine to the loaf or the fatigue and delay of being obliged to select portions of the filler and lift it up into the shoe from the pot as in the above mentioned previous apparatus.

While for convenience I have adapted my package form of the filler, I wish it understood that I am not limited thereto, as my invention includes broadly the mixing or churning and prepairing of the ingredients to a fairly consistent state for being leveled into a shoe bottom at the time of use, and also embraces broadly the provision of means for mechanically fiuidifying or rendering sufficiently plastic a normally stifffiller to permit its being laid in a shoe bottom. My mechanism renders it unnecessary to bring about a state of high fluidity as a more sluggish condition is practicable because of the fact that the machine itself forces the material into a thin layer independently of the exertions of the operator, and the laying device is specially adapted to mold the filler cold. Of course it will be understood that various of the separate elements or features of my invention may be used with the hot process if desired, and that I am not limited in all cases to the relations of parts herein preferred, although one of my chief aims has been to devise means for handling the filler cold and I therefore pro-- fer not to use heat except possibly to start the machine and hasten the melting of the filler at the start. One of the main reasons for having the roll hot in the above mentioned apparatus was to prevent the filler from sticking to the roll; I have found that by providing various kinds of oily or soapy coatings for the roll (or the vibrating device asherein shown), the laying device may be used cold without danger of the filler sticking thereto. The soapy solution is preferable, as oily material is apt to combine with the filler, and, to some extent, neutralize some of the beneficial effects of the latter. I have found the provision of a vibrating, laying motion to be of decided advantage irrespective of whether it is used cold or not, as it materially saves the time and strength of the operator. This laying mechanism and certain other features of my invention not herein claimed, are duly claimed in my divisional Patent No. 1,113,381.

The rubbing and mixing of the integral portions of the hacked filler create a softening of the material akin to heating, but without heat, and the further subdividing and continuous flow through the machine produces a smootherand nicer consistency than is feasible with heat, eliminating all tendency of the heavier ingredients of the composition to settle by gravity at the bottom. This cold process is not only beneficial to the material as to quality in the respects mentioned, but it avoids the extreme liaembodiments within the broad idea of means i 'which constitutes my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for filling shoes, having in combination, a receptacle for filler, and means arranged to be controlled by a contour of the bottom of the shoe for causing said filler to be delivered to and confined within the bottom cavity within the welt thereof.

2. A machine for filling shoes, having in combination, a receptacle for filler, means for causing said filler to be delivered to a shoe within the shoe-bottom cavity thereof, and means governed with reference to the innersole rib for controlling the area to which said filler is delivered in such manner that said area alwaysbears a fixed ratio to the width of the shoe-bottom cavity at each corresponding point throughout its length.

3. A machine for applying filler to the innersoles of shoes, having in combination, a receptacle for filler, and means arranged to be guided by the contour of the innersole cavity for controlling the area to which filler is delivered, said means arranged to become operative upon presentation of a shoe in operative relation to the machine.

4:. A machine for filling shoes, comprising mechanism for restricting the delivery of filler to the shoe bottom cavity, and including oppositecontrolling devices for engaging and following the rim of said cavity.

5. A machine for filling shoes, comprising a receptacle for filler having a delivery ori fice, and width-gaging means operative in said orifice and arranged to-be actuated by the portion of said shoe which is at said orifice at any given instant, as distinguished from portions of said shoe either forward or rearward from said orifice.

6. A machine for filling shoes, comprising a receptacle for filler having a delivery orifice, and width-gaging means operative for opening and closing said orifice and arranged to control the orifice in such manner that the extent of opening of said orifice always bears a fixed ratio to the width of the shoe bottom cavity at that point thereof which is at the orifice at any given instant.

7. A machine for filling shoes, comprising a receptacle for filler having a delivery orifice, and mechanism for opening and closing said orifice, including means becoming'ope'rative upon the presentation of a shoe for moving said mechanism to open position, consisting of devices movable widthwise of the shoe and responsive in position to the variations in width of the shoe bottom cavity to be filled, and so arranged that said devices control the orifice with reference to the width of the shoe bottom cavity at that point thereof which, at any given instant, is at the filler delivery orifice, and in such manner that the delivery of the filler is always restricted to said shoe-bottom cavity.

8. A machine for filling shoes, comprising a receptacle for filler having a delivery orifice, and width-gaging means operable to control the amount of filler delivery by varying the pressure of the shoe toward said orifice.

9. A machine for filling shoes, comprising a receptacle for filler having a delivery orifice, a valve controlling the flow of filler through said orifice, and means operable by varying the pressure of a shoe toward the orifice for controlling the opening of said valve.

10. A machine for handling shoe bottom filler, comprising means for supplying the filler material, said machine containing a delivery opening, means for continuously forcing said material forward to said delivery opening,'and mechanism cooperating therewith for delivering intermittently at said opening the filler in a thin narrow ribbon-like layer into the shoe conforming in shape approximately to the thickness and width of a shoe cavity.

11. A machine for handling shoe bottom filler, comprising means for supplying the filler material, said machine containing a dellvery opening, means for forcing said ma- Copies of this patent may be obtained for terial forward to said delivery opening, and mechanism at the extreme outer end of said opening 7 ing the filler in a thin'ribbon-like layer into the shoe conforming in shape approximately to the thickness and width of a shoe cavity. 12-. A machine for handling shoe bottom filler, comprising means for mechanically rendering fluid normally semi-solid shoe filler, and delivering means for forcing the fluid filler out in a thin layer conforming approximately to the shoe-cavity.

13. A machine for handling shoe bottom,

filler, comprising means for mechanically rendering fluid normally semi-solid shoe filler, delivering meansfor forcing the fluid cooperating therewith for deliverv filler out in a thin layer, and means for automatically conforming the width of said layer to the shape of a shoe bottom.

14. filler, comprising means for mechanically rendering fluid normally semi-solid shoe filler, delivering means under the control of the operator for forcing the filler out in a thin layer, and means for varying the width of said layer as delivered.

15. A machine for handling shoe bottom filler, comprising means for mechanically rendering fluid normally semi-solid shoe filler, delivering means for forcing the filler out in a thin layer, and width guards beyond the delivery opening of the machine for confiningsaid delivered portion to the shoe bottom. I

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW THOMA.

Witnesses: V

' M. J. SPALDING,

EDWARD MAXWELL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

A machine for handling shoe bottom 

